Treasures
from the Archives
Our Lady of the Cenacle
Treasures
from the Archives
Our Lady of the Cenacle
Treasures
from the Archives
Our Lady of the Cenacle
Treasures
from the Archives
Our Lady of the Cenacle
Fr. Terme’s black felt hat with turn-up brims was designed to protect him from the cold, rain, wind and sun during his excursions. It evokes the activity of the missionary journeying through the mountains during the winter months, on foot or on horseback, in all weathers, to reawaken the faith of the villagers and “win back souls.” It also evokes the founder, concerned about the various religious communities he had established throughout the diocese, and anxious to visit them regularly.
Among the objects and garments preserved because they belonged to Mother Thérèse are this waistcoat and pair of stockings, which have been carefully mended many times. They bear witness to the humble task assigned to Mother Thérèse at the end of her life in the house in Lyon: mending the community’s clothes. Above all, they bear witness to her concern for “preserving God’s goods” and living the vow of poverty in a radical way. She always took “the least good” for herself and collected everything to use it. But she knew how to combine poverty with respect for herself, others, and the goods entrusted to her, so much so that Marie Desgrands assured: “Mother Thérèse lived detached from created things and her habits of poverty were visible, although everything was so well ordered in her person that one could have believed her to be dressed up. She had none of the repulsive exterior that old age has.”